How do you manage underperforming staff in your operations?

Managing underperforming staff in our operations is a delicate but necessary task. We start by setting clear expectations and performance goals, providing regular feedback and coaching to help employees improve, and offering training or resources if needed. If performance issues persist, we follow our company's established performance improvement plan (PIP) process, which includes formal documentation and a timeline for improvement. If despite our efforts, an employee's performance does not meet the required standards, we explore alternative roles or, as a last resort, initiate a fair and respectful separation process. Our approach prioritizes communication, support, fairness against underperformance, and maintaining a positive workspace

The first question I ask myself is, “Is it the people or the process?” Core to my belief structure as a leader is that no one drives to work, sits in the parking lot and asks themselves how they can do poorly that day. So if we assume that is an unlikely scenario because we hire competent people that want to succeed, then it inevitably leads to the same question. “What is preventing them from achieving success?” Is it resources? Are we hamstrung by our own processes and procedures? Are we just not being creative enough or are we afraid to take risks? Ask the people. Usually you find they know exactly what is holding them back. They need a leader to help them remove obstacles or allow them to push beyond what they think their limits are.

This is difficult but I will say the worst thing you can do is give less work to the underperforming staff and more to the higher performing employees. An employee who is underperforming won't improve if management simply tells them to. Employees, like any human, has to want to change for themselves. Berating and hectoring employees as idiots won't do it. Neither will achieve better performance.

It’s important to remember the end goal - success for the employee and the employer needs being met. Once you have the facts and solid examples (1) have the conversation to share your observations and solicit response; (2) identify expectations for the role; (3) agree to a written plan outline 2-3 topics of focus; (4) establish recurring meetings for check-in and review; (5) ask how you can help or if there is anything the employee needs to meet expectations. If this plan is committed to and executed as a team together you will find the employee has success or both may realize the role is not the right fit for the employee. Remember- it’s about skills and competence for a role and not how nice someone is or hurt feelings.

Start off by taking a step back and looking at that person's performance as a whole. Is this an issue that has recently popped up or has this been something ongoing for a while? Then have a simple one on one conversation. We don't know what people are dealing with outside of work. There could be factors affecting their performance in their personal life (divorce, a medical condition, a family member passed away, etc.) or they are struggling with a heavier than normal work load or shortened deadlines. We want to be compassionate to help that person perform at a competent level. Once we find out more information, we can collaboratively come up with a plan of action to get the person in the resources and support that they need.

After position expectations have been clarified, share how their role and duties interact with others on the team, and with other departments. Understanding the impact of their role within the 'big picture' generally makes their job more meaningful and increases their motivation to perform even the small or tedious tasks (such as data entry) with greater care. Also, remember to use all three of the primary adult learning modes -- Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic. Tell them, show them, then let them do it. Any visual references, such as copies of policies, checklists, photos or graphs of good & bad examples, etc. will help reinforce the expectations. Then ask them to recap their understanding of your expectations to be sure you were clear.

Underperforming staff always reduces productivity, lowers the quality of work, reduces morale and co-operation among employees. First of all, we should empathise to understand the reason for this. We need to explore what an underperforming employee expects from their job and the organisation and see if this is realistic. If there is a mismatch between their expectations and what we can offer or do for them, this is the perfect time to discuss whether they can adjust their expectations. We discussed underperformance issues and their causes, created an action plan together to work towards a solution and made suggestions to solve the problem and encouraged the employee to set goals and create their own suggestions.

By scheduling frequent check-ins and meetings, you create a supportive environment where you can monitor their progress, provide constructive feedback, and offer positive reinforcement. This approach not only helps your team stay on track and address any challenges they may face, but it also shows your commitment to their growth and development. Documenting the results and outcomes of the review process is essential as it allows you to track their improvement over time and identify areas where additional support may be needed. And of course, recognizing and rewarding your staff for their hard work and improvement is a fantastic way to boost morale and motivate them to continue striving for excellence.

When faced with the decision to take corrective action, make sure it is the right one for that moment. Ask yourself, have we done what we could to support this person's best efforts towards performance and given them adequate time? Change doesn't happen overnight in some cases but it still must happen! Then take a respectful approach in meeting with the employee to again outline concerns and the needed change. Follow up with them on a regular basis and promote any small action that moves them towards the behavior you want to see more of.

Make sure you’re 100% committed to help correct the situation. This requires a self reflection exercise on how you, as a leader, will can also do something differently to contribute to the improvement. Whether it’s closer follow up, making additional resources available, training or even changing your feedback style. Don’t expect different results while you’re doing exactly the same.

Communication of “role clarity” and “expectations” has been an area that has impacted performance most significantly in my experience. Parallel to that is a manager’s understanding of their own behavior and how it affects performance of the the variety if employees they “manage” both more positively and less positively.